Mapping Prisoner Reentry

An Action Research Guidebook

The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.

Executive Summary

The Reentry Mapping Network (RMN) is a partnership among community-based
organizations and the Urban Institute designed to create community change through the
mapping and analysis of neighborhood- level data related to prisoner reentry. RMN partners
collect and analyze local data related to incarceration, reentry, and community well-being;
develop policy options based on the findings; and document their accomplishments and
lessons learned. This guidebook provides information on how to understand and address
prisoner reentry at the community le vel through mapping and analysis. It describes the
concepts and methods underlying the RMN so that other jurisdictions can learn from these
experiences in the interests of crafting more effective and successful reentry strategies in
their communities. The key steps to doing so are highlighted below.

Identifying stakeholders – Reentry mapping partnerships must include stakeholders with
expertise in mapping community level data, as well as stakeholders with backgrounds in
dealing with the critical prisoner reentry issues in the community.

Setting research priorities and identifying key issues – Reentry mapping partnerships
typically involve collecting and mapping data while convening stakeholders and planning
programmatic and public policy changes for their community. To keep these activities
coordinated, stakeholders should agree on a common set of priorities early on in the process,
and review them together on an ongoing basis.

Obtaining corrections data – Data about former prisoners are typically available from the
state Department of Corrections (DOC). In order to obtain the data, however, reentry
mapping partners will likely have to make arrangements to ensure the confidentiality of this
sensitive data. In addition, developing a good working relationship with the DOC is crucial to
receiving continued assistance in interpreting and using the data.

Obtaining contextual data – Additional contextual data about communities, including basic
demographic and economic data, are relatively easy to access from local research institutions
or the U.S. Census. More detailed local data, especially information about community assets,
can be obtained from other organizations or by conducting a data collection project.

Creating maps – Maps depicting the concentration of released prisoners in communities are
the foundation of reentry mapping partnerships. In order for maps to be useful to
stakeholders, they must meet a set of criteria designed to ensure that they communicate
effectively and are easy to interpret.

Sharing maps with stakeholders – Reviewing maps with stakeholders prior to their release
will help ensure that these maps meet the needs of the reentry mapping partnership.

Using analysis results to inform action – As maps are produced, the reentry mapping
partnership must come to a common understanding of the key findings resulting from the
analysis and the necessary actions based on those findings.

Creating a sustainable reentry mapping partnership – Reentry mapping partnerships that
rely on a broad base of stakeholder participation are well positioned to leverage the data they
collect and the relationships they establish to continue their work on addressing reentry
challenges in their communities.

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